PEEK and related plastics are preferred materials for implants since they excel over conventional plastics due to their mechanical durability. For many implant applications however, a drawback lies in the poor biological integration of these materials' surface. Therefore, a biocompatible coating is an obvious solution with the requirements of strong adhesion, chemical stability, and conformity to the implant surface; the latter is especially important for spinal spacer devices to maintain primary stability.
High power impulse magnetron sputtering (“HiPIMS”), also known as HPPMS, as a novel deposition technology has been published in 1999 by Kousnetzov et al (V. Kouznetsov, K. Macak, J. M. Schneider, U. Helmersson, I. Petrov, Surf. Coat. Technol. Volume 122, Issue 2-3 (1999) 290-293). This technique attracted considerable attention in the last ten years, and a large scientific community evolved utilizing this technology, while the few industrial applications are mainly focusing on wear-protective coatings.
The present disclosure describes novel modifications to the HiPIMS process and medical devices resulting from such novel process.